The Houthi militia announced its full readiness to participate in a prisoner exchange deal with the internationally recognized Yemeni government, in a new step aimed at progressing in resolving the prisoner file, which has been pending for years.

This came during a meeting between the head of the so-called Houthi National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, called Abdul Qadir Al-Murtada, with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, in Sana’a. 

During the meeting, progress in implementing the understandings reached in previous negotiating rounds was discussed, especially those that took place in Switzerland last year.

The obstacles that hindered the implementation of the concluded agreements, which relate to the other side in the conflict, were also addressed, in a Houthi reference to the Yemeni government, according to what was reported by the Saba Agency, which is under the control of the group.

The Houthi militia confirmed its readiness to participate in new rounds of negotiations aimed at completing a comprehensive prisoner exchange deal, in accordance with the “all for all” rule, and this includes the exchange of all detainees of the conflicting parties, in accordance with the understandings that took place previously.

It is worth noting that the prisoner file remains one of the most prominent files witnessing difficulty in progress, as political differences and obstructions from some parties have complicated the exchange process, and the Yemeni government accuses the Houthi militia of playing on this sensitive file.